AUGUST 28, 2010 - DAY 24 - TULSA,OK TO AMARILLO, TX
We decide rather than backtracking about 15 or so miles to reach the turn off for Route 66 on the other side of Tulsa we will just pick up the Turnpike and meet back up with it down the road. Unfortunately, as we exited I missed the correct lane for payment but we corrected the best we could. The one big difference with toll roads in Oklahoma over other states is that they expect you to have exact change and have change machines at the exits, and they are mostly unmanned.
The big thing to see today is the Oklahoma City memorial. But before we get there we need to find place for breakfast and we find Gracie's Diner in Kellyville, OK. We know it has to be good because of all the pick-up trucks parked there. I actually finally gave in and ordered biscuits and gravy, something I love but have avoided thus far. It was perfect. And as we sat there we saw Matt ride on past and figured we'd run into him sometime today, but it didn't happen.
Then just prior to entering Stroud my bike turns over to 40,000 miles. I am watching closely and stop on a dime on the shoulder as it happens. Angel takes my picture and I take one of the odometer. It's a good milestone, especially since I've only had it for three years. Now just because it's an '05 don't think that means it's no big deal. The reality is that when I got the bike in mid-2007 it only had 974 miles on it, so these are my miles.
In Stroud we gas up. Just like so many other towns the people are so friendly no matter their age or occupation. An older farmer strikes up a conversation at the pump, and the bottom line is that he thinks it's exciting that we are two women alone off on an adventure. He wishes us luck before he leaves.
Directly across the street is the Rock Cafe, built in 1939 from the stones dug up while paving Route 66, and yet another landmark highlighted in the movie "Cars". So after we gas up we hop over and take more photos. We are excited at the thought that when we get home we can show our kids pictures that they will relate to from the movie, and hopefully someday in person.
We continue on, passing through many other small towns, some still thriving and some almost ghost towns just as we've seen already. It is great though when some of the old businesses are fixed up to reflect their historic past. But we don't stop again until Seaba Station, a motorcycle museum. It is amazing to me because there is just about every small mini-bike or motorcycle that I rode on when I first learned to ride. I especially like the memory of the Cushman that my Grandpa Brake had when I was very young.
And not too much further is the Round Barn in Arcadia, OK. It seems like everyone is stopping here. The barn was built in 1898 and restored in 1992, and the top floor of the barn is used to rent out for events. Working inside the gift shop area is Butch, who can be found in many of the photos associated with the barn. And just past the barn is restaurant / rest stop that is very modern looking, including the huge modern over-sized Coke bottle out front.
We pass through Edmond before arriving in Oklahoma City. I have not been to this city since 1976 but have very strong memories of the bombing that took place. I was working the Assaults Unit in the detective bureau. We didn't have a tv set-up back then, so we listened to the radio that Sgt. Ferla had set up at his desk. We spent all day listening to every update we could get and feeling useless because there was nothing we could do from San Jose.
As we walk up to the memorial the memories of the radio broadcasts, the tv news reports, the thoughts of the daycare center (my girls were young and in daycare at the time) come rushing back at me. One of the first things I see is a portion of the concrete wall still standing as a part of the memorial. I begin to feel pain in the pit of my stomach.
We go on our own as we walk along the memorial site. At one point I actually stop and bend over as I am overcome with the pain in my gut and the memories in my head. I begin to think of my visit to the World Trade Center buildings in 1996 and how at that time I was thinking of the prior bombing in the parking garage there, and how it was only a year after the destruction here where I was now standing. Combine this with the emotional days once again visiting the three 9/11 crash sites.
Don't get me wrong, the loss of life and destruction here are just as horrific but the causes differ from 9/11, and for me there is still shock and pain. It is the culmination of all the emotions, the memories of these horrific events, the first time to visit this site, and the recent raw emotions experienced again while visiting the other sites that brings them both together for me at this moment - mostly due to the physical reaction my body is having.
We head out across the western-most portion of Oklahoma, including Yukon and El Reno. As the day is wearing on are excited when we cross the Texas state line, each shouting and raising our hand in the air with our index and pinkie fingers pointing up as the "hook 'em horns" symbol. And only a short distance to go until dinner in McLean.
But before dinner we divert to Shamrock and the historic Conoco gas station called the "U Drop Inn", and yes another icon from the movie "Cars". It was originally built in 1936 when Route 66 was a new highway. It was a gas station / diner and is a symbol of the art deco style.
When we get to McLean it is sunset as we pull up to Red River Steakhouse. Gary from the Gay Parita Sinclair station had suggested eating here, as well as many of the books. We get a table up front in the section where there the music is playing. The food is not only delicious but plentiful. And we enjoy every minute of the live music, but especially when he sings Route 66 just for us. What was also amazing was that we met two separate people in the restaurant that had both lived in San Jose once upon a time, each commenting about how much the city has changed.
It is dark when we finish dinner, then we gas up and head back on the road. Everyone has warned us about being watchful of the deer on the roadways in the dark, so we decide to attach ourselves to a big rig for the miles into Amarillo. The truck I choose keeps a steady speed but it seems as though he is a newer driver, almost nervous that I am keeping at his left rear bumper even though there are other trucks that fly past. But I stay put. As we finally enter the outskirts of the city with its k-rail, walls and bright lights we accelerate and I wave a thank you to the trucker. We were grateful to make it to our hotel, drag our gear to our room, wash the road grime away before we climbed into our beds for the night.
Today's stats: 420 miles and 13.5 hours
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